Method of cutting lifts from the heel-seat portion of outer-soles.



R. B. PUCKETT & H. R. ABBOTT. METHOD OF CUTTING LIFTS FROM THE HEEL SEAT-PORTION 0F OUTER SOLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17. I9l6- Pateht'eld Oct. 24,1916.

new ortp it ROBERT B. .PUCKETT AND HARRY R. ABBOTT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

itis'rno or cu'r'rrn'e LIFTS. FROM THE .nnnn snar PORTION or OUTER-SOLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented @0113. 241i, T9118,

I 1 Application flledt April 17, 191 Serial No. 91,742.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, Ronnn'r B. lPocKET'r v and HAR Y R. ABBOTT, citizens ofthellnited States, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri,have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Cutting Lifts from the Heel-Seat Portion of Outer- Soles,-of'which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to the art of man'- ufacturing shoes, and has special reference to a novel method of removing a lift from the heel-seat portion of the outer sole.- V

In the manufacture of shoes as now practised, the outer sole, consisting of an inte-'- gral piece of leather, is secured to the upper and then the heel secured to the heelseat portion of the sole. The heel-seat portion of the sole is never subjected to any wear, and ithas heretofore been proposed to remove a portion of this leather in the shape of a lift which may be used as the top lift fora heel, and thereby secure great economy in the manufacture of shoes. n attempting to do this the lift, has been cut from the heel-seat portion of the outer sole, and a filling tenon of approximately the size of the lift cut, and of cheaper material, has

been secured to the heel and then the heel applied in position in the'usual way after the sole has been secured to the shoe, so that the tenon will fill the space made by removing the'lift. llt was soon discovered that this was animpracticable method of PTO? cedure,,owing to the impossibility of properly positioning the recess in the sole with respect to the tenon on the heel, so that when the heel was applied it would be exactly centered with respect to the sole.

Tn a companion application of the present inventors, filed January 12th, 1916, Ser. No.

71,619, it has been proposed to cut the lift from the sole after the tread portion of the sole has been sewed to the upper, and before the heel-seat portion has been nailed thereto. Tn carrying out this idea it was thought possible to cut the lift from the sole by the use of a reciprocating die while the last was yet in the upper, thus utilizing the last to offer the necessary resistance to the die to enable the latter to cut through the sole. lit was found, however, that the ordinary lasts used are not uniform in size, even for the same style of shoe, and that frequently the die would cut through the outer sole and into the inner sole, and such method of procedure was found impracticable.

The present invention is concerned with a novel method whereby the idea of cutting the lift from the sole after it has been secured to the upper may be carried out in a simple, efficient and economical manner.

Referring now to the drawing-Figure l is a plan View showing a shoe with the outer solesecured thereto, and in position on a novel support permitting a, lift to be cut from the heel-seat portion without'the danger of cutting any other portion of the shoe, the view showing the sole with the cut lift removed; Fig. 2 is aview in side elevation;

showing a shoe in position-on the improved support, and illustrating conventionally a die for cutting the lift from the heel-seat portion of the sole; 3 is a view in front elevation of the improved sup ort; and Fig. 4 isa sectional view of a heel supplied with a tenon for filling the opening made by removing the lift from the outer sole.

The present invention, of course, is not concerned with the particular apparatus shown, but the same has been found to be a very useful and convenient means of carry ing out theinvention, and said apparatus forms the subject-matter of a separate application for patent;

A brief description of the apparatus will therefore be given.

The numeral 1 indicates a support, such as j a table, or the like, on which is mounted a' head 2 having yokeanembers 3, which are connected at their upper endby a block 4,

which is preferably cast integral with the yoke-members 3. The block 4: is flat on its upper side, and has a rounded end portion 5 projecting slightly beyond the front side of the yoke-members 3, and its under side is inclined rearwardly from'said front end to the end of an extension 6' which projects a considerable distance beyond the rear sides of the yoke-members 3. The extension 6 is in the, form of a plate, and at the point where it projects from the" block 4: the latter provides a vertically-disposedshoulder 7. Secured on the upper side of the block 4 is aflat, metal plate 8 which at its rear side is bent at right angles to itself, as indicated at 9, to extend over the shoulder 7, to which it is secured by means of screws 10. The under side. of the block l and of the plate 6 formvone continuous inclined surface, as

set screws which pass through apertures shown moreclearly in Figs. 2 and 3, and

indicated bythe numeral 11. The numeral 12 indicates a gage-plate which is cut away to provide a -shaped recess from the edges of which depend guide-members 13 formed integral with. said plate and converging from the forward edge and outer side thereof to a point about midway of the plate. Toward its outer end the plate 12 is provided with slots '14 whichare adapted to loosely receive the screw-threaded ends of 16 formed in the rear end of the plate 6, the screw-threaded ends of said screws-being received in screw-threaded apertures formed in the ends of a nut plate 17.

In proceeding according to the presentinvention, anfouter sole 18 is stitched to the upper in'the usual way, as indicated by the. row of stitching 19, leaving a heel-seat per-i. tion-20 free, that is, unconnected with the upper. The operator places this heel-seat portion'o'n the plate 8 and places the shoe between the yokeme'mbers 3, its heel-portion engaging the inclined side 11 of the block 4, and being guided to a true central posi- -'preferably of soft metal.

tion by the guide-members 13, which also' act to 'limit the inward movement of the shoe. A die 21, which is shown removably secured in a holder 22, is then reciprocated in a defined path, as by a plunger 22, in any preferred way to cut a lift from the heelseat portion-20, inwhich operation the cutting edge of the die will pass through the outer sole and engage the plate 8whicl1 is The cutting .of the lift provides'an opening 23 in the heelseat portion of the sole, which is correctly positioned with reference to the heel portion of the shoe. 1 When the shoe is removed from the block 4 the lift is carried with it and is then easily removed-by hand. The heel-seat portion of the outer sole is then nailed to the counter and inner sole of the upper in the usual way, after which a heel 24, provided with a tenon 25, is applied to the outer sole, the tenon" filling the opening '23 made by removing the lift from the sole.

By loosening the set screws .15 it is? obvious that the gage-plate 12 may be adjusted to permit the guide-member's 13 to properly-- position varying sizesof shoes. By proceeding according to the method outlined above, itwill be seen that a lift may be cut from an outer sole in such manner that when the heel having a filling tenon thereon is applied to the sole the heel will be correctly positioned or centered on the latter. '--'A machine Which may be advantageously used for practising the above method, but which, apart from the mechanism or support herein illustrated, is not of the invention of the present applicants, forms the subject-matter of a separate application by other parties.

' We claim:

1. In themanufacture of shoes, the method which consists in securing the tread portion of an outer sole tothe upper, separating the heel-seat portion of the sole from the heel portion of the upper, and then cutting a lift portion of the outer sole, whereby to sepa- .rate said portions of the shoe, and then cutting alift from the heel-seat portion of the sole while the latter is maintained separated from the upper.

- 4. In the manufacture of shoes,the method which consists in securing the tread portion from the heel-seat portionwof the sole while thus separated'from the upper.

QLan outer sole to an upper, placing the .shoe in a defined position on a support with the support inserted between the heel-seat portion of the sole and the heel portion of the upper, and cutting a lift from the heelseat' portion of the sole by reciprocating a die in a defined path relative'to said support, and intocontact therewith.

In testimony'whereof, we have hereunto set our hands:

ROBERT B. 'PUCKETT. HARRY R. ABBOTT.

ioo 

